Chord-playing attachment for stringed instruments



Dec. 6, 1,519,881

N. D. STEIN CHORD PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed Sept. '7, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS:

Dec. 16, 1924. 1,519,881

N. D. STEIN CHORD PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed se tfv, 1923 2 Sheets-sheaf; 2

INVENTOR ATTORN EY WITNESS:

Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED S;;l" ATE.S- PATENT OFFICE.

mcnoms I). sum, or am. CLOUD, mrmmso'm, ASSIGNOB or ONE-EAL! 'ro ANTON c. KALUSCHE, or s'r. CLOUD, mmsnso'ra CHORD-PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR STRING-ED INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed September To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, NIoHoLAs STEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Cloud, in the county of Stearns and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Chord-Playing Attachments for Stringed Instruments, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instruments of the string type, particularly to attachments therefor, and has for its ob ect the provision of a novel key operated mechanism adapted to be mounted upon the finger board of a guitar or other stringed instrument for the purpose of permitting the playing of chords in a very simple and easy manner.

An important and more specific object 1s the provision of a device of this character which may be manufactured and sold as a complete entity adapted to be engaged upon the finger board of an already existing instrument without involving the making of any changes or alterations in the constructlon thereof.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this character which will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, eff.- cient and positive in action, durable in service and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view the invention consists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a guitar showing my invention applied thereto,

Figure 2 is an elevation of the attachment looking at the underside thereof,

Figure 3 is a side elevation,

Figure 4 is a detail view of one of the attaching brackets,

Figure 5 is a detail view of the other attaching bracket,

Figure 6 is an elevation of the elongated support,

Figure 7 is a detail perspective view showing a series of the presser members.

Figure 8 is a detail cross section on the line 8-8 of Figure 1 and Figure 9 is a detail perspective View of the attaching clamp shown in Figure 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I have illustrated the attachment as ap- 7, 1923. Serial m. 001,404.

plied to a guitar including the usual finger board A equipped with frets D over which pass the strings C. In carrying out my invention I provide an elongated supporting body 10 which is of substantially the same length as the finger board A and upon one end of which is mounted an H shaped bracket 11 which straddles the outer end of the finger board and which is secured thereto by means of a set screw 12' or the like. Depending from the central portion of this bracket is a lug 13 having a rounded point 1 1 which engages upon the finger board. The other end of this body 10 is secured to an H-shaped bracket 15 which is likewise equipped with a set screw 16 for clamping it upon the finger board near the body of the instrument. As an additional securing means, provide a U-shaped clip 9 which is engaged about the finger board and the attachment and which has its arms formed with holes 8 through which pass a pin 7 having one end formed with a head 6 and its other end provided with a notch 5. It should be understood at this point that While I have illustrated a guitar there is no limitation as to the exact instrument upon which the attachment is to be used as it could be applied equally well to a banjo or the like. The body 10 is provided with a plurality of holes 17 which are preferably sguare or at least angular in shape and which are arranged in more or less staggered relation as shown.

Associated with and located at the underside of the body 10 are presser members 18 of angular shape to be described in detail, and these presser members are carried by plungers 19 slidable through the holes 17 and terminating in keys or buttons 20. Encircling the plungers are springs 21 which bear against the 'unde-rsides of the keys or buttons for normally holding the presser members retracted and out of engagement with the strings.

The presser members 18 are not all the same exact shape but are all angular. Each presser member includes a body 22 formed with longitudinal grooves 23 opposite the strings C, the grooves having their bottoms tapered and merging at one end into the under Surface of the presser as indicated at 24. These surfaces 24: are designed to be engaged with the strings between the frets for producing the desired note when the operator string is struck or lucked. At some points, where it is desired merely to bridge over strings, the presser bars are formed with slots 25 and at these points the presser members do not of course touch the strings even when depressed. At points where they must ass over the frets the presser bars are ormed with transverse notches 26 so as to accommodate the frets.

In the o eration it will be seen that whenever it is (l esired to play a certain chord, the presses the proper key or button 20, whereu on the presser bar 18 carried thereby 'wil be moved toward the finger board, the slots 26 accommodatin the frets, and the grooves 23 receiving t e strings. The portions 24 which are ungrooved will of course engage the strings an press them down in exactly the same manner as if they were pressed down by the fingers of the human hand.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will be apparent that I have thus provided a simply constructed and consequently inexpensive chord playing attachment which will be eas to install or apply and which will be of distinct advantage inasmuch as chords may be layed very' easily by an untrained perormer so that playing results may be obtained with minimum effort.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention 'it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. Achord instruments, ber provided with means for clamping upon the finger board of a stringed instrument, a plurality of plungers slidable through said member and equipped with buttons, and presser bars carried by said plungers and adapted toengage the strings, the presser bars being grooved at points where contact with the strings is undesired.

2. A chord playing attachment for stringed instruments, comprising a supporting member provided with means for clamping upon the finger board of a stringed instrument, a plurality of plungers slidable through said member and equipped with buttons, and

playing attachment for stringed comprising a supporting memextend over several strings and presser bars carried by said plun rs and adapted to engage the strings, sai presser bars being of angular formation whereby to extend over several strings and being grooved at points where contact with the strings is undesired, engagement with the strings occurring at the .ungrooved points.

3. chord playing attachment for stringed instruments, comprising a sup orting member fprovided with means for chimping upon the nger board of a strin ed instrument, a plurality of plungers slida 1e through said member and equip ed with buttons, and presser bars carrie by said plun rs and adapted to engage the strings, sai presser bars being of angular formation whereby to being grooved at points where contact with the strings is undesired, engagement with the strings occurring at the ungrooved points, the presser bars being slotted at points where they are desired to bridge over strings without engaging thereagainst.

4. A chord playing attachment for stringed instruments com rising a supporting member provided wit means for clamping upon the finger board of a stringed instrument, a plurality of plungers slidable through said member and equipped with buttons, and presser bars carried by said plungers and adapted to engage the strings, said presser bars being of angular formation whereby to extend over several strings and being grooved at points where contact with the strings is undesired, engagement with the strings occurring at the ungrooved points, said bars being formed with transverse slots for the accommodation of the frets on the finger board.

5. A chord playing attachment for stringed instruments comprising an elongated supporting member, bridge pieces carried by said supporting member and adapted to straddlingly engage the neck of the instrument, means on said bridge pieces for clamping them upon the neck, a de nding spacing element carried by one bridge piece for holding said support in proper spaced relation to th next, and a plurality of springpressed pfimgers slidable through the support and carrying presser bars adapted to engage a plurality of strings at selected points.

In testimony whereof I afiix ture.

my signa- NICHOLAS D. STEIN. 

